Military expert Belousov named three problems with the supply of German IRIS-T air defense systems to Kiev
Germany is ready to supply Ukraine with modern IRIS-T air defense systems, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. However, the Bundeswehr has no extra systems, and the production of new ones will take several months. "Newspaper.Ru" was looking into what IRIS-T is capable of and why there may be difficulties with its supplies to the APU.
Germany supplies weapons to Ukraine in an extremely dosed manner. Berlin received complaints about this from both Kiev and Warsaw, which promised to supply Leopard 2A4 tanks in the framework of the so-called "circular exchange" to replace the old Soviet T-72 modifications sent to Ukraine from Poland. However, the deal has stalled.
Now Chancellor Scholz has promised to send more serious weapons to Ukraine. In particular, Berlin promises to strengthen the AFU with a modern radar station and 12 PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery units, as well as IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems, the number of which is still unknown.
"The delivery of the IRIS-T missile looks like a natural deception on the part of Germany. Initially, it was an air-to-air missile, its use was air-based. Subsequently, it was converted as a ground-based air defense missile. The air missile was hitting at 20 kilometers, the ground missile was already at 40, but these are not yet confirmed indicators. The tests were completed only at the beginning of 2022 and it is not a fact that such systems are already available in sufficient quantities in the German army itself," he told the newspaper.Ru" military expert, former staff officer of the Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defense Vladislav Shurygin.
"Even if the deliveries take place, it will be five or ten units. It's nothing, an empty place. This number will be able to cover only individual command posts and infrastructure facilities. The potential of the missiles of this system assumes the location in several positions around the protected object, the presence of radar stations and means of cover. It will be a couple of dots on the map of Ukraine," the newspaper reported.Ru" member of the Board of Military Experts Sergey Belousov.
A similar point of view is shared by a military expert, reserve colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky.
"The notorious American Stinger MANPADS, which are actively using the Armed Forces of Ukraine to counter the Russian special operation in Ukraine, have not given much effect. We are not talking about the supply of American Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, and Russian aviation has learned to effectively counteract other systems. If German IRBIS-T with infrared homing head appear, it will not be a big problem for our aircraft, which are equipped with reliable airborne defense systems, such as Vitebsk. Ukraine's air defense does not have a layered system. In these conditions, individual complexes will not help," Drobyshevsky said.
Sergei Belousov also added that even talks about limited and distant supplies cause the military of the Bundeswehr, according to him, an extremely sharp reaction.
"These complexes, firstly, will not change the situation. Secondly, there are problems with efficiency, availability of free complexes and ammunition. But there is a third problem. The supply of German weapons to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr military, according to my sources, causes an extremely negative reaction. They do not want to share, rightly believing that they can be useful for the defense capability of Germany itself. Old stocks, mostly still old Soviet equipment and ammunition - please, but they feel sorry for new weapons. The same IRIS, with all the questions to it, is the latest weapon and it's a pity to give it to the German military," Belousov believes.
Victor Sokirko
